Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-09-01

fdiicy, III INC DdSe OF UOlu mOuulaln,
was a saw mill owned by George
Lacy, of Leadville, and extending up
from its yard, almost to timber line,
was what is called log shoot. This
is simply a v-shaped trough, large
enough to hold good-sized pine
trunk, and built solidly against the
face of the mountain. Of course, it
has to be straight, or nearly so, to per-
nit the logs to slide down without OBJ
struction, and use soon makes the in
side as smooth as glass Such con-
trivance saves great deal of hauling,
for as the trees are cut they are
dragged over and dumped into the
trough, and 60 down to the yard like
streak of lightning. In the course of
time the pressure will drive the
trough in pretty nearly to the level of
the earth. This was the case with the
Lacy shoot. Moreover, it had not been
used for about year, and pine
needles, dead boughs and other rub
Dish had, in places, almost hidden it
from sight. / was well enough ac-
quainted with the mountains to know,
the instant my broncho fell, that he
had walked into the old log shoot. |
was not aware at the time, but think
now that the headlong tumble broke
his back then and there, and he never
knew what hurt him.
at takes a moment for the coolest
head to clear itself in times of I'M
looked-for peril, and long before that
moment had elapsed the broncho and
| were on our way to the valley, going
faster at every breath, nothing to stop
us, death ahead, and the devils own
railroad underneath. | was sitting
almost erect in the saddle. The leath-
er flaps had twisted around and kept
my legs from rubbing against the sides
of the trough, but held me like bands
of iron. Even had they not, jumping
off would have been out of the ques-
ton. | have never been on tobog-
gan, but | think that people who
have will understand why l bent
all my energies to holding
on. l did not faint and did
not get dizzy; there was a hideous
roaring in my ears, furious wind
seemed to all of sudden tear up the
mountain and suck the breath out of
my mouth, but every thing was deadly
clear and distinct. | could see black
specks grow suddenly into biz pines
and then shoot past me. l could even
see the snow caught in their needles
as they came whizzing up. Every in
slant, through some clearing, l could
see the valley, in flash, and over it
all was sickening feeling as though
the mountain was sinking away from
me, and was plunging out into I'M
measurable space. So strong was this
that even now, standing on the solid
marble floor, can recall the qualm
and nausea as all support seemed to
give away, the earth tip up and let me
fall, fall, fall-it felt as if forever. A
mass of rock as large us this hotel was
beneath me. AS | looked It seemed to
leap into the air like balloon. There
was black line of forest below. |
shot through it, rs through tunnel,
and out into the light again. / tried
to shut my eyes. 1t was impossible. l
tried to scream. The air had turned
to stone
81 have read that when men are
about to die their lives reel out before
them like a panorama. Mine didn't.
All could think of was the crash, the
bloody mass of man and horse lying
somewhere in the valley, and remem-
Der | was glad, in wild, crazy kind Of
way, that it would all be over in an in
slant, and that it wouldn't hurt me. ]
knew we must be nearly there. The
trees and rocks were indistinguishable,
when all of sudden black mass flew
up into my face. felt that l was be,
ing beaten. bruised and hurled ovel
and over, and then every thing was
still.
"When the moon was well up came
to myself. was lying in a snow-drift,
rubbing at my head and moaning
After a long time l crawled little
ways, and then fell down and cried fol
my very helplessness. l must have
been little Eighty, and heaven knows
how l found my way to Lacy's mill, {
quarter of a mile beyond, but l die
somehow, and they carried me in ant
sent for help. You see, the old timber
shoot had fallen into decay, and som,
distance above the yard was broker
place that saved my life. When W,
reached it the dead broncho jumped the
trough and the two of us went sailing
and turning and cavorting over field o
fresh snow until we stuck into a drift
. about five hundred yards away. Tn,
broncho had the worst of it, ever
there, for he kept on going until h,
struck solid earth. l broke three rib
and this arm in so many differen
places that the doctor wanted to cut i
off and be done with it. What puzzle,
the mill men most was that my leg
escaped, but the saddle flaps were worl
to fringe, and suppose that explain
it. From the point where started t.
the break was over two miles, and tn
old hands there said logs used to max
it in less than two minutes. l had n
stop watch. but I'll back mysel
against any log that ever made tn
trip. IN T. Sun.
: Among the now few survivors o
: Waterloo is Lord Albemarle. who en-
tered the English army on April